Car Spotting – Fifties Flashback Part II

I wonder what kind of a spin Rod Serling could have put on this snapshot from the El Patio Motel in the mid-Fifties. Look at the two chaps poolside: “A relaxing moment for Fred Hall and Bill Watson. Two friends who just sat down from a tiring day on the road. Little do they know that they’ve only just begun a short trip into the…”

Quaint, right? Not so today, judging by the Street View camera courtesy of Google Maps; the motel is still located at 670 Adams Ave. in El Centro, California. Fortunately, perhaps, Fred and Bill are not.

Hard to tell if Fred and Bill would have preferred a stop at the Pavilion in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, located (in part) at the corner of 9th Ave. and Ocean Blvd. Actually, the Pavilion was just one part of the historic Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park, which closed its gates in late 2006. By the spring of 2007, the entire site had been demolished; the property is still vacant. Not too far away, its replacement opened called the Pavilion Nostalgia Park. This image should provide more of a challenge.

And because the car spotting quiz from the El Patio was rather easy, here’s a bonus round from Harry’s Place in 1951. Turtle steaks? Anyway, the parked cars may not be as tough to identify as finding out exactly where Harry’s was located. The only thing I had to go by was what had been scribed on the reverse side of the postcard: “68 miles south of Miami on the Overseas Highway; Tavernier, Florida.” Anybody from Hemmings Nation in the Keys have an idea?

salguodsays:

January 17, 2011 12:55 pm

Two things strike me about these photos. The first isn’t related to the cars, it’s the lack of a fence around that pool.

In regard to the cars, (and I’m sure I’ll get it for this one) I’m struck by how similar the cars look in each shot. Yea, the chrome is different, but the basic shapes are remarkably similar. Today’s cars get dinged for being to much alike, but it seems that it wasn’t so different back then.

Matt Litwinsays:

January 17, 2011 5:03 pm

GM shared their body platforms, even back then, which explains the like appearance as a whole. The difference between now and then is that the “subtle” styling changes between makes were not that subtle at first blush.

FJPsays:

January 18, 2011 10:06 pm

Really; it would have been easy for an inattentive guest to DRIVE into that pool, never mind walk or fall in. Looks like the current management fixed that problem by filling in the pool and paving it over. Also looks today like the kind of place where the room rate can also be quoted per hour.

Thirstysays:

January 17, 2011 4:17 pm

AMcAsays:

January 21, 2011 8:32 pm

I dunno all of them. But the yellow and black two tone ’55 Buick in the first post card demonstrates at a glance just how on target the current Buick LaCrosse is as piece of design. You can see the kinship easily.